Electric or hybrid machines are widely used as alternatives to their mechanical counterparts in industrial applications due to their higher efficiency and lower maintenance requirements. A high voltage power supply system is required for driving these electric machines. In the high voltage system of an electric or hybrid machine, an electrical fault, such as an interconnection fault or a component fault, in a cabling system may cause damage to the machine.
For example, a high voltage cabling system usually includes one or more wire harnesses that enable communication of electrical power between the various systems of the electric machine. For example, wire harnesses may be electrical conductors and connectors. These wire harnesses may be configured to pass various types of electrical signals, including DC voltage potentials and AC voltage signals. The integrity of the high voltage cabling system is important to the reliability of the machine. For instance, arcs may occur at the connector, if the connector components are not fully engaged, properly soldered or crimped, or if other types of connector fault occur. Arcs usually contain high energy and generate a large amount of heat that may melt the connector and other conductive components.
In order to mitigate the potential damage caused by an electrical fault in the cabling system, it is important to detect the fault accurately and in an early stage. Conventionally, detecting such a fault requires disconnecting the electrical component and manually testing its continuity. However, this traditional approach may be costly and inefficient as the cabling system in the electric machine becomes more complex.
One method for testing faulty conditions on the high voltage wiring system may measure voltage values at several points close to a load. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,282,921 to Sela et al. (“the '921 patent”) describes a method for monitoring local voltage levels and continuity measurements of electrical-power presence at one or more points in the electrical system of a facility. The method of the '921 patent includes measuring and tracking changes in the local voltage, comparing the measurements with profiles, and detecting changes and events that may be indicative of faults in the wiring. The method further includes continuity measurements regarding the presence of electrical power. The testing method described in the '921 patent uses sensing devices plugged-in between the power plugs of different pieces of electrical equipment and the sockets that supply power to these power plugs.
Although the electrical fault testing method described in the '921 patent may be effective for testing high voltage cables and detecting electrical faults, it may nonetheless be problematic. For example, the testing method described in the '921 patent relies on external sensing devices plugged in at the multiple measurement points, which may render the testing method inefficient and time-consuming. Furthermore, the testing method described in the '921 is performed while the electrical distribution system is in regular use, i.e., while high voltage is applied. Therefore, an electrical fault may cause damage to system components before it is detected and cleared. In addition, the solution provided by the '921 patent may not be reliable, as it lacks cross-validation. For example, the testing method described in the '921 patent relies on abnormal voltage drop as the only fault indicator, and thus the test result may be affected by other unreliable factors in the system.
The disclosed high voltage cable testing method is directed towards overcoming one or more of the shortcomings noted above.